Intergenerational Education Programs in Leisure and Aging Courses: Older Adult and Student Experiences

Abstract

Intergenerational education programs that bring young people together with older adults to learn from and with one another have been receiving greater attention in recent years. Yet, limited systematic information is available on the experiences for participants and the potential benefits these programs might provide. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of older adults and students in intergenerational education seminars offered as part of a university-level course on leisure in later life. Eight senior class assistants participated in small, student seminars over a 12-week period. At that end of the 12-week term, the older adults participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews and the students completed an open-ended questionnaire designed to examine their experiences in the seminars. Both the older adults and the students overwhelmingly described their experiences in the intergenerational seminars as positive. Four themes reflected the positive outcomes described by the older adults: personal rewards, opportunity to make worthwhile contribution, exposure to young, and breakdown of stereotypes. The students also identified four factors that contributed to their beneficial experience: innovative learning experience, opportunity for sharing different perspectives, reduction of stereotypes, and effective learning tool. Nonetheless, better preparation for senior volunteers and alternative methods of student evaluation in the seminars may be necessary to enhance the overall experience for both students and older adults.

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